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Free Jaffa
The Jaffa are an offshoot of humanity, augmented by the Goa’uld to have immense strength and regenerative healing abilities. Most of the Jaffa serve the Goa’uld as warriors as well as incubators for the Goa’uld larval young which they carry in pouches from which their strength and regenerative abilities originate. However, since the SEF and other expeditionary teams from Earth began to challenge and defeat the Goa’uld several Jaffa rebelled against their masters recognising them for not truly being Gods as they had once claimed. Though this rebellion has been strengthened, it has not yet been successfully spread to the Goa’uld Empire, for this reason Free Jaffa worlds are often targets of Goa’uld attacks which has made the rebellion highly mobile unless it is able to rely upon mutual defence agreements, the Alliance has allowed the Free Jaffa to develop safe havens for their tribes well away from the Goa’uld Empire, from which they have founded a tribal coalition, and infiltrate Goa’uld space to incite rebellion amongst the many Jaffa still in Goa’uld service. ---- Population Centres The primary territory controlled by the Rebellion are several scattered worlds that were liberated entirely upon the downfall of their Goa’uld rulers, the planets of Cohasset, Vaul, Assyria, Chulak, Mel’nak and Cadus Minor are the primary worlds controlled by the myriad ‘tribes’ that make up the Free Jaffa Rebellion, though many minor settlements of Free Jaffa exist across the space controlled by the rebellion. These named worlds are representative of the main six sub-factions of the Free Jaffa, the myriad smaller settlements represent smaller factions of rebels from mixed origins whereas the major worlds are populated by Jaffa who rebelled en-mass against their leaders. Cohasset is an arid planet of rolling planes and high mesas occupied by the Jaffa once of the Goa’uld Thunderbird this tribe of Jaffa live a lifestyle that resembles that of the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of America. They are mobile on the surface of their planet and use extensive cities carved into the rock of the mesas as their primary settlements. Vaul is a world close to the territory of the Goa’uld Ba’al, initially rescued by the SEF from assault by the Goa’uld Ares, the Jaffa here were long-freed from their Goa’uld overlord, Hephaestus and had operated out of the sight of the Goa’uld Empire for many years. Unlike many Jaffa, the tribe this world are technically minded and skilled ship-builders, armourers and weapon-makers who serve to provide the Free Jaffa with most of their supplies, making them vital to the survival of the rebellion. Culturally the Jaffa of this tribe wear a mix of Greek and Roman clothing, reflecting the Olympian Goa’uld who once ruled them. Assyria is the home of the Free Assyrian Tribes, though they are Jaffa, SEF dealing with Assyrians should be careful not to identify them as ‘Jaffa’. The Assyrian Tribes consider ‘Jaffa’ to be their ‘slave name’ as a people and refer to themselves as Assyrians instead, to refer to one without correction as a Jaffa can be a serious slight. They are the former servants of the Goa’uld Inanna but long ago broke from her rule, they are a Persian people, who live a united existence of their prosperous world. Chulak is a major Jaffa world formerly of the Goa’uld Cronos and later of the Goa’uld Apophis, it was here that the Free Jaffa Rebellion was born following the actions of the American Stargate Command in the downfall of Apophis. The Jaffa who come from this tribe are stoic, cultures individuals and the planet is largely dotted with both Egyptian and Greek architecture thanks to its long time as the domain of Chronos before it’s conquest by Aphohis – and the Jaffa here match that by wearing a blend of both cultural dresses. Mel’nak is a desert planet, with what little civilization is found there living around vast Oasis’ each protected by an artificial atmosphere projected by a single pyramid-like palace at its centre. It’s population, once the followers of the System Lord, Ra only leave the cities to travel, or to head into the rocky areas of the deep desert where mineral-rich mines provide most of their wealth. Ancient Egyptian culture and cultural dress is prominent amongst the Jaffa tribe of this world. Cadus Minor was once the home world of tribe of Jaffa who formerly followed the Goa’uld Charlemagne whose culture resembles that of early middle ages Europe, notable recognisably Christian churches and cathedrals were raised here. This is because Charlemagne once claimed to be a ‘Prophet of God’ and propagated Christianity amongst his Jaffa rather than relying on the traditional lie of being a God itself – even after Charlemagne’s downfall the Free Jaffa here continued to follow their own Christian sect. Cadus Minor fell to the Crusade in 2015 and has yet to be recovered, its people scattered amongst the other Free Jaffa Colonies or subverted to Crusade service. Government The Free Jaffa have no single leader, rather relying on a Council which represents the interests of the Free Jaffa, as of current this council comprises of twelve seats. Ten of these are divided between the tribes of Cohasset, Vaul, Assyria, Chulak, Mel’nak and the currently homeless Jaffa of Cadus Minor, the remaining two are held by representatives of the smaller tribes within the Free Jaffa drawn from minor worlds and scattered rebel peoples. How Councillors are chosen is not determined by the Council itself, each of the represented tribes of Jaffa chooses in its own way, some do so democratically, others such as the Jaffa of Mel’nak do so based on the Jaffa traditions of martial superiority and other still, such as the Jaffa of Cadus Minor, do so based upon more unique systems such as religious primacy within the Church. Largely speaking the Council sets the direction of the Free Jaffa as a people and acts as a mediating body when there are disputes, but it could be argued to lack power over the people and is closer to the former United Nations in its purpose, though it is made up of Jaffa who are respected greatly by all members of the Free Jaffa many Jaffa hold closely to their traditions, following traditional martial leaders and respected warriors who lead a myriad of smaller tribal factions within even the more united tribes of the Free Jaffa. To this end the Council is conservative and restrained in its reformation of Jaffa culture well-aware it cannot overreach or risk the fractured unity of the tribes amassed under the Free Jaffa banner. Beliefs The Free Jaffa are largely irreligious, years of subjugation under the Goa’uld in the false premise that their master’s were Gods have made most very wary of religion and very judgemental of those who practice it. This is not true for all Free Jaffa of course, the former Jaffa of Charlemagne following their own early Christian belief structure as a relic of their former Goa’uld’s false presentation as a Prophet of the Creator – their faith was a core part of what has kept them together as a people through their rebellion and through their current refugee status after the loss of their world. Prior to their rebellion the Jaffa Priesthood pursued worship of the Goa’uld but those who have remained have turned towards a less diety-led series of practices more in common with ancestor worship and spiritual enlightenment then a single belief in any ‘Gods’. The core defining belief of the Jaffa leans towards a belief of martial prowess being an essential feature of any good leader. The Jaffa venerate warriors most of all and show less respect to those who pursue less of a martial path. More than anything this has been a hamstring of the Jaffa as they have adapted to freedom, cultural traditions put in place by the Goa’uld to foster aggressive competition between their warriors still remain within the Jaffa culture, for example Joma Secu (Lit ‘Rite of Leadership’) which initiates a fight to the death to determine the leadership of a Jaffa group is still used to settle disputes despite the damage it does by robbing the Free Jaffa of potentially qualified future leaders, or veterans depending on the victor. These traditions are strongest amongst the older generations of Jaffa who strongly hold to them and it is to younger Jaffa that the responsibility of changing this has begun to be placed, though now youth is looked down upon by the Jaffa as lacking the proper experience to lead. Until such a time that significant social change occurs, it may be many years before the Jaffa abandon all the traditions grafted on their culture by the Goa’uld. Professions One of the core issues facing the Free Jaffa is that they are warriors by purpose and by nature, this means they do not lend themselves to being doctors, farmers, scientists or indeed any other non-martial tradition. Though there are exceptions such as those who hail from Vaul, the Free Jaffa came into being lacking many of the skills that modern Earth takes for granted. Most of these roles in Goa’uld society being performed by the Goa’uld themselves, or human slaves. This skill shortage has forced the Free Jaffa to approach their issues in several ways, several Free Jaffa cultures continue to rely on human populations under their protection to supply security in exchange for trade, but this rankles many Jaffa sensibilities as it makes them as a culture of mercenaries. Though some trade with the Alliance for supplies increasing numbers of Jaffa look towards adopting non-Martial roles in their society, but they do face an uphill battle and discrimination within Jaffa society for pursuing work traditionally associated with slaves. Some Jaffa cultures have historically divided such responsibilities to female Jaffa (though this is not universal to all Jaffa cultures) with male Jaffa serving as warriors, which has led to a greater number of powerful female Jaffa who have become economic leaders in the aftermath of their cultures break from the Goa’uld as they have maintained skills otherwise neglected something that has seen them rapidly assert equal rights in the post-Goa’uld cultures of their worlds. Slavery itself has been outlawed by the Free Jaffa Council as a point of principle and is forbidden by their treaties with the Alliance, though not all Jaffa are content with this state of being all have accepted it – given their history with the Goa’uld. Social Classes The Jaffa have traditionally been led by a military structure with attention closely given to the wisdom of veteran Jaffa who have served many years. Those who earned the respect of the Goa’uld and served them as their senior officers, controlled Jaffa society. Though some of those figures were important leaders in guiding the Jaffa away from the Goa’uld, the majority were the greatest opposition to rebellions as they benefitted the most from the Goa’uld’s rule of their people. As a result, in the absence of many of these individuals, the Jaffa social structure has been created by a combination of martial strength of the individual and how many warriors they can draw to their banner. The Jaffa are effectively led by an upper class of Warlords who draw their power from the warriors who have chosen to follow them and lead their communities in such a way. This is not to say that Jaffa have totally abandoned the wisdom of their Elders, age plays an important part in class within Jaffa society, venerable warriors who can no longer fight are still respected for their service, many retired to become Masters of martial academies and to tutor the next generation of warriors. It is the advice of elders that is why the Free Jaffa council is made of a mix of Elders and the most powerful Warlords within the Free Jaffa. The Jaffa Priesthood, which previously led worship of the Goa’uld, has largely faded, but members of it that joined the Rebellion have retained a degree of influence, the spiritual beliefs of the various tribes of the Free Jaffa vary of course, and so does the influence of the former Priests. As noted above about professions, traditional Jaffa cultures tended towards discrimination towards female members of the species, despite the latter being equally as enhanced physically as their male counterparts. This is not universal, those few Jaffa that have defected from the ranks of Bastet for example are from a matriarchic society, and as noted above, the reliance upon skills not traditionally found amongst male Jaffa has rapidly increased the social power of female Jaffa within their society. Writing and Art The culture impressed upon the Jaffa by the Goa’uld does not greatly favour artistic expression, to the Goa’uld such things would be of little value as the Jaffa are expected to fulfil the role of loyal servants and warriors in service. Complicating this, many Goa’uld restricted their servants from reading and writing meaning that the Free Jaffa have had to combat extensive illiteracy during the years since their rebellion began. Both Free and Subjugated Jaffa are, because of this, cultures that rely heavily on oral history. In recent years literacy rates amongst the Free Jaffa have seen the rise of the written word. The main body of their work is focused upon manuals and treatises focused upon martial matters, but some have begun transcribing Jaffa history to the page. Fiction is generally given little time by the Jaffa, for the most part their hostility towards superstition has made them culturally against anything they believe to be not grounded in fact. Jaffa art has only ever been expressed via body art and the work of armourers, the Jaffa for the most part have retained the Goa’uld fondness for ornately designed weapons and armour (so long as they remain functional). More ‘frivolous’ forms of art and expression are largely frowned upon by the conservative culture of the Jaffa, though that isn’t to say they don’t exist, the Jaffa of Cohasset for example continue to practice the art of their root culture. Culinary Although the Free Jaffa have a menu drawn from the various cultures that make up their rebellion the Jaffa diet is high in protein and contains a balance of ingredients designed to promote a healthy and active life as a soldier. However, the Jaffa tolerance for spices and similar ingredients means that much Jaffa cuisine tends to include ingredients that a baseline human would struggle to digest some of which is dauntingly spicy to the human pallet. The Jaffa tolerance of alcohol is incredibly high so SEF members visiting Free Jaffa worlds are reminded to be cautious of accepting even a small recreational drink from their hosts as they may find it is much more potent then alcohols found on Earth. Warfare The Free Jaffa operate using a mix of tactics, their scattered population have means they favour skirmish and insurgent tactics when facing their foes on the field of battle. As consummate warriors they strike hard and fast, delivering lethal blows before fading and striking on different fronts. Strategically they rely heavily on raiding tactics unless forced to stand and fight, their fleets rely heavily on the element of surprise and avoid protracted engagements where possible as not to damage their limited resources. The Free Jaffa command structure on the field roughly follows that of their cousins still under Goa’uld rule, a Jaffa Officer will command anywhere between ten or twenty troops and operate to a Field Commander who will have overall responsibility for the battle. Although ‘Primes’ the designated leaders of the Jaffa under Goa’uld rule are still respected leaders, command of a free Jaffa force can fall to any form of ‘Warlord’ amongst the Free Jaffa that commands martial respect, regardless of their former rank. The Jaffa are proficient in melee and many practice an aggressive martial art known as ‘Lok’nel’ that combines unarmed blows with staff fighting designed to be combined with the Ma’Tok staff weapon. Personalities Jaffa can generally be described as stoic, they tend towards a level of emotional distance largely because of the long history of Goa’uld abuse their people have suffered. While the Jaffa are talented warriors, the Goa’uld use of them as fodder in battles means they have developed a degree of psychological robustness to endure the atmosphere of death and the horrors the Goa’uld have forced them to perform. Younger Free Jaffa suffer this less but having been brought up around emotionally distant elders the attitude is still prevalent, and Jaffa are prone to containing their feelings. When a Jaffa does lose their temper, it is often explosive and dangerous. The Jaffa hold a great deal of emphasis on the importance of concepts such as Loyalty and Honour and react poorly when these are taken for granted. To give an example the Jaffa term ‘Shol’va’ may roughly translate as ‘traitor’ but is a far more severe term for the Jaffa then it is on Earth marking the individual as deserving of death on sight and smearing their immediate bloodline with dishonour that damages their social standings even if they do not share in the crime. Jaffa tend to be painfully honest and very blunt when dealing with individuals, there are those amongst them with silver tongues and cunning, but the majority prefer to speak plainly and avoid ambiguity. Appearance The average Jaffa is a little taller than a human with denser musculature, but otherwise physiologically resembles a human except for a cross-shaped slit in the skin where the bellybutton would be found on a human, the four folds of skin around this form the Jaffa ‘pouch’ where they incubate the larval Goa’uld that gives them their natural strength and resilience. Many older Jaffa bear a mark on their forehead, usually tattooed, that denotes them as being the Jaffa of a specific Goa’uld. Though some Jaffa have had these marks deliberately removed from their forehead, others still have retained them as a matter of pride, seeking the reclaim the symbology from the Goa’uld. Young Free Jaffa can usually be easily identified by their lack of such a mark, as they were never tattooed in service. Jaffa that appear to humans as looking in their twenties to thirties are often deceptively old, the Jaffa mature like humans, but their adulthoods are longer thanks to the presence of the Goa’uld symbiote implanted in their pouches during late adolescence (a necessary process as the Jaffa body begins to break down if not performed). A Jaffa who appears to be in their 30s may be as old as eighty to a hundred years old a Jaffa who seems old by human standards can be as old as two hundred years. Free Jaffa clothing varies between the various tribes that make up the Rebellion and trying to describe it would be an exercise in futility, it tends to be a militarised variation of the clothing of whatever root culture that tribe of Jaffa draws their culture from alongside that of their Goa’uld. Greetings The Jaffa use a series of basic Goa’uld phrases: Tak mal tiak — “Greeting/You are remembered” Tal'ma'te — Affectionate greeting, farewell Kree ''– The unique nature of the word ‘Kree’ in the Goa’uld tongue is that depending on intonation it can mean different things, it is generally interpreted as a generic ‘call to attention’ but itoned correctly can mean anything from "be prepared", "aim", "listen up", and when combined with additional words can mean “We’re going” “Let’s go” (Kree hol) or “Wait”, “Stand by” (Kree hol mel). ''Chel nok ''– “Good luck, very well wishes.” ''Ral tora ke ''– “Good Luck.” '' Tel kol? — “I beg your pardon?” Rin nok! ''– “Silence!” exclamation. ''Shal kek — “Dismissed” Shel kek nem ron — “I die free” (passcode used by Free Jaffa to identify to others) Kalach shal tek! ''– “Victory or Death!” A common phrase used under the Goa’uld that continues to be used in modern times. ''Ya duru arik kek onac — “I honor him who would kill his god” a greeting of respect towards Free Jaffa. Hal mek! ''– “Hold!” used in combat. ''Tal shak! — “Attack!” Kree tal shal mak! ''– “Halt and Identify Yourself.” Used as a challenge, if you encounter Free Jaffa respond “''Kel nok Tau’ri” ''(“I am of Earth”) Technology * '''Spacefaring:' The various Free Jaffa tribes make use of Goa’uld vessels captured from the Goa’uld during their rebellions, these vessels ranging from the Ha’tak capitol-class Mothership to the ‘Death Glider’ fighter craft, are dangerous vessels even if they are out-performed by most ships currently in service amongst other powers. The Free Jaffa were also supporters of the Alliance-class project, as a result, they have taken delivery of several Alliance-class vessels operated by Free Jaffa crews. * Colonisers: The Free Jaffa primarily control worlds that rebelled against Goa’uld rule in the past twenty-five years since the beginnings of their rebellion. In recent years however with attacks by the Kuma-ai and forces of Dagon upon their people they have looked more and more towards expansion, and finding new worlds to bring under their control. Technology comparison * Construction Technology: Jaffa construction is relatively primitive due to architectural roles previously being filled by Goa’uld and human slaves, many Jaffa live in structures constructed by the Goa’uld and human labour and those that don’t tend to possess medieval-level construction abilities. This is improving via skills exchanges with Earth and the Alliance. * Manufacturing Technology: Most of the Free Jaffa tribes don’t possess the technological ability to make their own technologies, relying on what can be stolen from the Goa’uld or supplied by their allies. The Herphaestus Free Jaffa are an exception to this however the Jaffa do not favour automation preferring to carefully oversee the construction of items as artisan crafters. * Medical Technology: Because the Goa’uld symbiote makes Jaffa efficiently at fending off natural diseases, they have never needed to develop complex medical technologies, though they have developed massively since leaving Goa’uld service they lag behind other Alliance allies. Though a majority of Jaffa continue to rely on immature symbiotes to sustain them (raiding the Goa’uld to capture them) several Jaffa are now reliant on the drug ‘Tritonin’ developed and produced on Earth, and later provided to the Free Jaffa to the SEF. However difficulties manufacturing the drug have prevented it’s mass adoption. * Transportation Technology: The Jaffa make use of Goa’uld vessels for interplanatary and interstellar transport as well as aerial transportation, ground transport tends to be more primitive relying on foot travel and beasts of burden where there are not vessels or ring-devices to provide rapid transport. * Communication Technology: The Free Jaffa rely on a mix of Goa’uld and Alliance communications technologies. * Energy Technology: The Free Jaffa rely on a mix of Goa’uld and Alliance energy technologies. ''' History During the Goa’uld occupation of Earth they began to seed humanity around the Milky Way Galaxy to create stable slave-populations from which they could rely on for labour and the provision of hosts for their race. To control this population, and to make war on each-other, the Goa’uld quickly realized they would need servants capable of supressing slave uprisings as well as providing them with able warriors. Goa’uld themselves being unwilling to risk themselves on the field of battle. To provide this role within the Empire, some humans were adapted Some of the slaves who were taken from Earth were implanted with infant Goa’uld and became known as Jaffa. The larval symbiote (or prim'ta) protects the host Jaffa from disease and gives the host Jaffa a long life, along with increased physical capabilities, something the Goa’uld have treated as a ‘gift’ from them as ‘Gods’ to their martial servants. The Jaffa were indoctrinated by the Goa’uld, their culture designed from the ground up by their Masters to be focused around worship and servitude to their ‘Gods’. For thousands of years the Jaffa have served various Goa’uld masters, raised as warriors by their culture – with fanatical devotion to the Goa’uld. It was for many years the belief of the Jaffa that service to the Goa’uld work bring them great honour and rewards in the afterlife, and allow themselves, in time to transcend their mortal forms through discipline and honour. It is not known if this latter part of their culture was fostered by the Goa’uld, or by the Ascended and simply ignored by the Goa’uld. The Free Jaffa rebellion has its origins in the activation of the US SGC’s decision to respond to kidnap of US personnel by the Goa’uld Apophis, where a single Jaffa, Teal’c of Chulak, the First Prime of Apophis chose to side with the US SG-1 and help them fight against Apophis. This would begin a spiral of events that sparked the beginnings of a wider Jaffa rebellion. '''Recent History Though the US SGC and later the UKGC and SEF have aided the rebel Jaffa in expanding their forces many Jaffa continue to live under the rule of the Goa’uld and continue to venerate them as their Gods. Though the rebellion is not small, it has not had as much success as it’s leaders would wish, and conflicts with other forces have heavily distracted the SEF from assisting it’s growth as well as diminishing the strength of the Goa’uld Empire – thusly the rebel tribes that have joined the Free Jaffa represent only a minority of the Jaffa in the Galaxy. Since its formation, the UKGC and later the SEF have helped liberate several Jaffa people, including the free Jaffa tribes of Cadus Minor (SEF/11/Delta.23) Cohasset (UKGC/07/Delta.08) and Vaul (SEF/13/Delta.31) as well as helping unite the Free Assyrian Peoples with the Free Jaffa tribes. Shortly after the events of SEF/13/Delta.32 the Free Jaffa liaison, Nathaniel, lost his symbiote which subsequently infected Dr Olivia Kincaid (who subsequently ascended denying the Goa’uld possession of her body) – this forced SEF Medical to investigate solutions to save his life. In the resulting search for solutions, SEF Medical dug up records of a drug encountered by US SGC that served a similar purpose known as ‘Tretonin’. After some difficulty, this was successfully synthesised, but not widely adopted by the Free Jaffa who are suspicious of becoming dependent upon its supply. Most recently the Free Jaffa world of Cadus Minor came under attack from the Crusade who conquered the world and converted much of the population of Jaffa there to their goals. This has been extremely damaging to the Free Jaffa as Cadus Minor was a major agricultural world. This has left the Jaffa in a state of war with the Crusade. Subsequent to this attack, the Crusade attacked the Free Jaffa Council’s Ha’tak, heavily damaging it and forcing many of its members to evacuate as well as costing the lives of several Jaffa. During the Kuma-ai conflict, the Free Jaffa served as a raiding force as their worlds avoided the brunt of Kuma-ai aggression, lessening the blow on other Alliance allies. 'Recent Interactions' Since 2012 the SEF have had a permanent Free Jaffa liaison attached to them in the form of the former Prime of the Goa’uld Charlemagne, Nathaniel. In 2019 Nathaniel was joined by another member of the Free Jaffa, Set’ka a former Royal Guard of the Goa’uld Ra, who officially serves as his aide. ---- Back to Cultural Database Back to The Alliance Category:Cultures Category:The Alliance